Demons
by Anonymoux-Sonic
Summary: Tails has always depended on Sonic whenever he needed a hero and a family. They've all looked up to him because of his courage and what he fights for. Sometimes you don't realize what you have until it's gone, and now they're on the verge of losing Sonic forever. You can't fight your demons alone, and they'll do what they can for him, even if it means fighting him. Rewrite/Sonadow.
1. Author's Note

Hello and long time no see Demons readers!

As many of you may know, this set of stories has been on hiatus for some time now. Unfortunately, that is due to a severe case of writer's block I have been fighting.

I do, however, have good news.

I an going to be re-writing this story very soon, adding things to it, re-doing some of it, and adding a lot to it. I'm also going to be making it a lot longer and changing a few plot points. It'll still be the Demons you all loved, but bigger and hopefully better. This story is also going to be significantly longer, as I'm going to add to the end of it and keep going.

What I'm going to do is take down all the chapters, re-write the prologue and just update it like all my other stories. It will be added to my list and most likely be updated before the next "Welcome Home" update.

As for "Life of a Hedgehog," which I started the same year as Demons, I'm going to be taking it down and posting the individual one shots on my profile. If I add to them, I will.

This is all just to really celebrate how long I've been on both fanfiction and deviantart, and all the support I've gotten.

I will also be taking down "Sonic Chaos," my comic, and putting up a new one I'm more prepared for... which is...

Demons!

Yes, Demons is going to have it's own comic soon. I want to draw each chapter out as I post them up, so you can follow it here and in comic mode. My deviantart is Anonymoux-Sonic.

I'm really excited I was able to get some free time, so I should hopefully be super active once December rolls in.

With that said, I'll see you soon!


	2. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

 _Hey hey hey hey~_

 _Well, look who decided to come back from the hell known as writer's block and do something with their life? Anonymoux did, that's for sure!_

 _If you're questioning why the hell this story is suddenly missing twenty-five chapters, and why there's a new summary, and you're getting this story has been updated in your emails, then you might not have seen the update I posted just not too long ago…_

 _I'm re-writing this story. Simple as that._

 _This was my first real story on Fanfiction, when I finally decided to get back into writing and such. To be honest, it was kind of rushed, had a lot of mistakes, and I didn't even get to do everything I wanted with it. I had it on a T rating because I was too nervous to get really into it, and I kind of screwed it up somewhere down the line…_

 _Now that it's been over a year, and I've finally gotten back into writing and have had a lot of practice, I'm going to be re-doing this story and making it into everything I originally planned. It's gonna be a lot darker, and I mean I should probably rate this as Horror. It's gonna have a lot more character development, as well as more depth and more content. It's also going to be a lot longer, less rushed, and I'm changing up the story a bit. Not too much, but I'm fixing things I didn't like about it, and hopefully fixing the plotholes and cleaning it up._

 _I want this story to be my best, so updates may be slower than my other stories. There's gonna be everything in this story._

 _Now, long author's note. I promise this will be the only long one._

 _I hope my old followers enjoy this, as well as new ones. I know you guys liked this story, and my gift to you is to give you something better and to look forward to._

 _And, as with all my stories…_

 _Enjoy~!_

* * *

 ** _Chapter Introduction~_**

 _Snowflakes spun and twirled as they drifted through the air, twinkling in the late evening sun. They landed against the cold glass of a window, their beautiful crystalline shape only visible for a small moment, before they gently melted away into icy frost. As the fox kit brushed away the condensation on the other side of the smooth, clear surface, his sky blue eyes focused on a shape passed the delicate white flakes. Although the winter seemed to be warming up for the evening, it was still rather cold out. He couldn't suppress his worry at seeing the spiky blue shape of his brother, sitting out there on the opal colored ground. Cobalt quills swayed in the cold breeze, along with the branches of the tall magnolia above them. Somehow the tree had managed to make it through the winter with its leaves bright and red, and it seemed to be shading over the azure hedgehog, as if protecting him from some unspoken threat._

 _The tree could not, however, protect him from the cold that threatened to freeze him, Tails knew, and so he turns around, quickly running to the front door, reaching up to grab his light blue coat -a gift from his brother- and a slightly larger red one. After adorning himself with his own winter garments, he grabs the handle of the door next to him and swings it open, holding his hat to prevent it from flying away in the wind. Once he deemed it safe to proceed, he shuts the door behind him, and makes his way carefully down the snow covered steps, his shoes crunching as he walked around their little house, under the tree where the blue hedgehog sat._

 _He notices that the bandages wrapped around the cobalt creature's waist and leg, are somewhat torn, spots of them red. Did the stiches tear? Most likely, he thought glumly to himself. He had warned his brother that he needed to rest the injuries, but the teen had wanted nothing more than to get up and go and run. They were going to have to patch him up again…_

 _He carefully opens the red coat in his hands, stepping over to drape it over the hedgehog's fawn shoulders. His brother doesn't seem to notice or care, his emerald green eyes focused acutely on something in the distance. Blinking a few times, the golden fox turns his head to where the other was staring, and his eyes widen at the sight._

 _The sky was a bright, burning red, followed in a shade of orange and yellow. It faded out even more to pinks and purples, until finally the night sky brought a dark blue background to the picture. Stars were nearly visible in the darkness, while the sun slowly sank beneath the snow covered hills. Its rays of light reflected off of the crystal surface of the white powder, illuminating the land in a glowing aura that rose like mist into the air. It was a beautiful sight, and the fox couldn't help but gape it awe. Fawn lips slowly curved into a lazy smile, their owner leaning back on his hands, blue lids drooping halfway. His yawn that followed brought the younger one's attention back to him, and the golden kit kneeled to sit down next to him._

" _Now I see why you like winter so much," the fox spoke in a soft voice. "It's so…" he couldn't even pick a word for it. It was just too great for words._

 _A quiet, husky chuckle was heard next to him. "Yeah," his voice was just as soft, "it's something."_

 _The little fox turns his head, smiling brightly at his older brother. The hedgehog seemed relaxed, content, and happy, and that made himself happy. To think just yesterday they had been fighting for their lives, and now they were sitting here enjoying their victory._

 _Well, somewhat of a victory._

 _The fox couldn't help but glance at the bandages on his brother again. "You hurt yourself again," he says quietly in a chiding voice. "You need to be a little more patient with your recovery…"_

 _The cobalt teen chuckled again, winking in amusement. "You know me better than that…"_

 _The kid rolls his eyes. "I know I do, but you still should listen, if not for yourself, than for me."_

 _This catches the hedgehog's attention, and he turns to look at the younger one with a small frown. "Hm? What's that supposed to mean?"_

 _The kitsune gives him an accusing look, his brows furrowing slightly. "It means I don't like to see you hurt, Sonic. If you don't care about yourself, at least acknowledge that I care about you."_

 _One blue ear folded down at that comment, a weak smile forming on his muzzle. "I know you do, but you shouldn't be so worried about me…"_

 _The fox's eyelids fall halfway, raising a brow at his older brother. "Oh really? Says you… You do the same thing with me all the time."_

 _The hedgehog turns his head, laughing slightly. "That's because it's my job to. I'm the older one, here."_

 _The indeed younger mobian shakes his head exasperatedly. "Sometimes I find that hard to believe…"_

 _Another laugh was followed by a gentle shove. "Oh, you and your sassiness. I swear you get worse every birthday of yours."_

 _The fox couldn't help but chuckle as well, leaning back over against his brother. They were shoulder to shoulder, and he closed his eyes comfortably. "I learn from the best," he teases._

" _Knuckles? Yeah I know, he's got quite an attitude…"_

 _The fox sighs, shaking his head, but smiling nonetheless. These were moments he cherished the most in his life, just sitting here with his brother, talking leisurely, enjoying the warmth and comfort of one another. He looks back up at the hedgehog, frowning now. "I am serious though, Sonic. Please take it easy and let me take care of you until you're fully recovered. You were hurt so bad…"_

 _Azure sighed and closed his eyes, knowing he couldn't escape this one. "Yeah, buddy. If it makes you feel better, I'll take a break."_

 _Golden raised a brow. "You promise? You have to swear."_

 _The hedgehog chuckles once more, drawing an 'x' over his chest with a finger. "I swear, bud. Cross my heart."_

 _The fox wasn't done. "And you'll let me take care of you?"_

 _He could practically feel the sweat roll off his head, and with a sigh, he pulls his little brother in for a side hug. "I promise, Tails."_

 _The kid was now fully satisfied, and he smiles, curling into his brother's side, fully accepting the hug. He breathes in, enjoying the warmth and security the hedgehog provided, while feeling the teen bury his cold muzzle into the gold fur on his head. The hedgehog really was cold, but the warmth of both of them together seemed to dissipate that cold and bring only comfort in its stead._

" _I'm really proud of you, bud," he heard after a moment, and he looks up in slight confusion._

" _What do you mean?"_

 _The hedgehog smiles warmly. "Yesterday…the way you handled everything…taking over like a leader and pulling everything together…"_

 _The fox's eyes widen slightly, an excited warmth rising from his chest. "R-Really?"_

 _The blue teen nods, ruffling the golden bangs on his little brother's head. "Of course! It was awesome for you to keep so calm and everything, even after everything that happened."_

 _The praise made the fox's heart jump, and a sudden rush of happiness swarmed over him in a thick, fluffy blanket. "You really think so? I just…did everything I thought you would do…"_

 _The hedgehog nods, his smile never fading. "You were right on and more, little bro."_

 _The fox couldn't help but jump into his brother's arms, hugging him tightly. The hedgehog jumped with the sudden action, but the smile grew back just as fast. He pulled the kid closer, returning the hug with all the strength he could muster. His body hurt, but he wouldn't turn down the kid for anything in the world._

 _He wouldn't have heard his brother wheeze slightly if it hadn't been so quiet. He pulls back, giving the hedgehog a nervous look. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to hurt you…"_

 _The cobalt mobian holds up a hand. "Don't worry about it. I feel fine."_

 _The kitsune looked doubtful, but sat back beside his brother anyway. "That's another thing you need to promise."_

" _What's that?" the hedgehog asked, a bit reclusively._

 _The kit nudges him. "Don't lie to me."_

 _The hedgehog raised a brow, looking a bit offended. "But I am fine, bud. That wasn't a lie…"_

" _Just in case," the fox counters, causing his brother to sigh._

" _Alright, I promise. Do I have to sign anywhere?"_

 _Tails gives him a weak glare, shaking his head. "Don't ruin the moment…"_

 _The sky was nearly swallowed by the night now, the only traces of day left being the purple coloring just over the horizon. The stars twinkled brightly, and the snow glowed in the moonlight, and although beautiful still, it was starting to get colder._

" _We should go in before we get sick," the younger of the two offers, standing up to dust snow off of himself. "You've been out here for a long time."_

 _The hedgehog takes in a deep breath, before letting out a woof of air. "I guess you're right…" he mumbles, as he goes to push himself to his feet. The fox could see his brother wince, obviously still in pain from the catastrophe yesterday._

" _Did you want anything to help?" the kit asks softly. "We do have those herbs from Angel Island. I could make something up real quick or…"_

" _Don't worry about it," the teen says, finally at his feet, dusting himself off as well. "I'll make it with some food and a nap."_

 _The fox pouts slightly. "At least let me fix the torn stiches, Sonic. You're bleeding again."_

 _The hedgehog just seems to realize that, as he catches a glimpse of his right leg. "Heh, I guess so. Alright, we'll do that then eat. I'm starving…"_

 _The fox smiles. "You're always starving…"_

 _The two turn and begin heading back towards their house, a plan set and ready to be put into action._

 _They never got the chance to start, however, as the ground suddenly shook, and the house in front of them was smashed under the giant foot of a Death Egg Robot._

* * *

 ** _Chapter One~_**

 _Mobotropolis. Twenty-Three hours ago…_

The deep hum of the Tornado X whizzed by just above the mobians' heads, trying to shoot off the missiles that had sailed awry from the battle looming above. The civilians screamed and ducked their heads, before they were rushed away by a certain pink hedgehog.

"Move it, hurry!" Amy orders, pushing the mobians away as fast as she could. She takes a glance back, upwards, just in time to watch an all too familiar streak of blue smash into the side of the Death Egg Robot. She frowns, worriedly, as she watches that blue streak end abruptly, the hedgehog within tumbling back down to the ground, his attack doing nothing on the giant robot. She holds up her wrist communicator, calling out loudly so her teammates could hear her.

"I know this is a _Death Egg Robot,"_ she starts hesitantly, "but that shot should have done something, right?"

A certain fox barely moves his plane in time to avoid a large, swinging arm. A loud crash of glass and debris exploded as the arm collided with the side of a building, and the golden kit could only pray everyone had been evacuated already. "I'm not sure," he answers. "I'm trying to scan it, but it's kind of hard when I have to avoid blowing up."

"We'll cover you," Knuckles is heard from his own communicator. He lowers his arm and looks over to the black and red hedgehog not too far away, while Sonic lets out a huff, barely dodging the stomping legs of the robot.

"Get to it then, guys!" the blue hero calls, glaring at the two older males who didn't seem to be helping by much. Shadow scoffs and disappears in a flash of blue, while the echidna grumbles something under his breath, jumping up to get on top of a nearby bus. Sonic turns, getting ready to run under the robot when he had the chance, while Shadow appeared on top of the robot's head and began slicing it with Chaos Spears. Knuckles jumped from the bus to the swinging arm, landing right on it to start tearing it apart with his claws. Sonic gets his chance and dashes passed the hulking metal beast, before running up a building on the other side of it. He runs up the building with a resonating boom, all the way to the top, where he kicks off of it, twisting his body backwards in the air, flipping just enough to land in a crouch on the robot's head, next to his darker counterpart.

Shadow raised a brow at him, and the hero snickers. "What? Jealous?"

The Ultimate Lifeform narrows his eyes slightly at him. "Stop fooling around."

Knuckles cursed as his claws proceeded to do absolutely nothing to the black metal of the robot. "Argh! What the heck is this stuff made out of?"

Tails, finally getting a full scan up on his monitor, frowns thoughtfully. "It looks like some mutated form of magnesium based alloy as well as diamond…"

Sonic and Shadow both blink in slight surprise, before turning to watch the white jet plane zoom by. "What the heck does that mean?" Sonic questioned, while Shadow watched yet another building fall to the robot's hands.

A very sultry voice joined in over their radio _. "In English, it means that it's most likely the strongest compound in all of Mobius,_ " Rouge explains _. "Diamond is the hardest gem, while magnesium based alloys are some of the strongest and most convenient metals."_

Knuckles jumps off the robotic arm, blinking a few times as he tried to wrap his head around it. "How do you know all of this?"

The bat snickers. _"Please, darling. I'm a master jewel thief. I know these things."_

Sonic could practically hear Shadow roll his eyes, as he turns his attention to Tails. The robot seemed to notice that two hedgehogs were standing on its head.

"Next time, let's skip the science explanations and get right to it. How do we take it down?"

Shadow reaches over and grabs the blue hedgehog's arm, teleporting them away before the robot could shake them off.

Tails snaps his fingers with an excited smile. "Magnesium based alloy is super light! Knuckles! You should be able to lift it easy!"

The echidna grins, cracking his namesakes. "About time!"

Sonic and Shadow appear on top of a nearby building, the blue hedgehog giving his comrade a questioning look, his hands on his hips, and a blue brow raised. The darker one looks at him with a scowl, and Sonic chuckles. "Thanks for the lift, by the way," the hero nudges him with an elbow, before turning to watch his red friend below try to find an opening to grab the robot's foot.

He sighs, tapping his foot impatiently. Shadow crosses his arms, his scowl never fading.

"Alright, let's help him," Sonic huffs, and the two take off at the same time.

Rouge's voice sounds back over their com-links. _"Tails, are you getting that energy signature?"_

The fox frowns, looking back at his monitor. A little blue pulse was beating off of the robot, and he leans forward, his eyes widening suddenly. "Guys! That robot is being powered by four Chaos Emeralds!"

"I don't feel anything," Shadow frowns, jumping out of the way of about ten missiles. Sonic looks back from where he stood a few feet away. "Neither do I, and I _know_ Chaos Emeralds."

Knuckles coughs up some dirt, waving away the dust that lifted up every time the 'bot stomped down. "I would have felt that too. I mean, four emeralds? That's a lot of energy, Tails."

Rouge, from where she sat in the base of G.U.N., turns and snaps at the soldiers behind her. "I need better readings on that energy signature." With her harsh voice, the technicians and soldiers got to work.

She sighs and looks back at her monitor, reaching for the mic on her head piece. "If those really are Chaos Emeralds, then the alloy and diamond might be interfering with their signal. I barely caught it on my system."

Back at the battle, Sonic slams into the side of the robot again, trying to get its attention so Knuckles could do his thing. He bounces back, his red shoes landing with a tap as Tails catches him on the Tornado's wing. "If their signal did make it through, though, that means there has to be a weak spot, right?"

"Working on it now," Tails answers, one hand piloting the plane, the other at his monitor. Sonic chuckled helplessly. Tails was the ultimate multitasker.

Sometimes…

"Better find something soon," Shadow's harsh voice spoke through their links.

"I agree," Knuckles adds, jumping back to avoid both a foot and a missile. "This is getting out of hand."

"I got it!" Tails suddenly exclaims. "The center of the robot's chest is its weak spot. It's small, but with a power ring, Sonic, you should be able to make it through there!"

The hero himself swipes a thumb across his nose in a cocky gesture. "Not a problem! Lay it on me, little bro!"

Tails lifts a panel and pulls the lever behind it, shooting out a golden ring from the side of the white plane. Sonic dashes off of the wing, reaching out for the ring, his fingers just there…

…and then he's grabbed by a large, robotic hand.

"Sh-Shoot!" he exclaims, watching the ring fall far below. The robot lifts him up, its fingers tight around his body, squeezing the breath out of him. He's met face to face with the ugly mech, to a large, clear viewing pane of glass, Dr. Eggman himself smirking viciously at his control console.

"I've got you now, you pesky little runt!" the doctor gloats, brushing his mustache with a stroke of his fingers, and Sonic grins.

"I'd much rather be a little runt than your size, that's for sure!" he jokes, watching the doctor's face turn red with anger.

"How mature…" he sneers at the young teen. "If you're afraid of looking this perfect, maybe I should squeeze you down a size!"

With that, the robot's hand began to do so, crushing the little hedgehog in its grasp with immense strength. Sonic's eyes widened, his face paling, before he grits his teeth and squeezes those eyes shut, his breath catching in his throat. The pain was unbearable, and it was only getting worse the more the robot's grip tightened. A sharp pain in both his leg and side caused him to cry out it shock; something sharp was digging into him! Eventually it got to be too much for him, and he shook his head violently, before letting out a pained scream.

"Oh no!" Tails cried out, starting to press buttons frantically on his monitor. Missiles, rockets, anything he could fire at the robot, he sent off. "We have to get him out of there!" he slams his fists on the console.

Shadow and dashes up to the robot's hand, grabbing at and trying to pry the fingers off of the blue hedgehog. Another scream, this time weaker, broke from the Hero of Mobius. His bones felt like they were on the verge of snapping and shattering, and whatever was cutting into his leg and torso where blinding his vision with white. He could hardly breathe at this point, and Shadow cursed as he watched the hedgehog groan and lean his head forward in bitter anguish.

"Tails!" Knuckles calls, his mouth blurting out whatever his mind thought of in half a second. "Is it possible for me to still flip it?"

The fox felt himself whimper and shake his head. "You…you might have to…it may be our only choice!"

Knuckles swallows, watching a giant foot stomp down in front of him. He dashes forward, seizing his chance, grabbing the large foot with all the strength he had left.

"Then pray for Sonic," he breathes, before heaving.

The robot made a screech as it was forced to bend backwards, Eggman screaming as his robot was sent tumbling down. The Guardian of the Master Emerald could not believe how light this monster of a robot actually was. Rouge and Tails had actually been right…

Shadow's eyes widen as the robot is tipped, and he jumps to the other side of the hand, holding on to it with everything he had. With a loud crash and boom, a few more buildings collapsing, the remains of the roads broken apart, and a huge cloud of dust and debris rising, the robot had fallen.

Knuckles was panting heavily, stumbling backwards from the large lift. His purple eyes tried to focus on anything other than dirt, dust, and smoke, while holding up a hand to cough into.

Both Sonic and Shadow were shaken, the former more so than the other. With a curse, the crimson streaked hedgehog yells into his communicator. "Anyone want to get down here and help me?!"

Knuckles took off, as Tails made to land the Tornado. Climbing the fallen mech, he runs and nearly trips his way over to the black hedgehog, who was looking at Sonic with actual concern. The grip on the hero had loosened only a bit, and the Blue Blur was dazed and nearly unconscious, shivering fiercely.

Both rivals then start to grab ahold of the giant fingers of the robot, slowly, forcefully pulling them up and apart. They got the first, then the second, then…

When they tried to lift the third, Sonic let out another cry of pain. They both freeze hesitantly, before shaking it off and giving a harsh lift of the finger.

A loud, piercing rip of metal followed, making them all cringe. When they got the finger up, they saw why Sonic had cried out.

A part of the robot's hand had been damaged some, parts of the metal lifted up and sticking out dangerously. Two pieces of that lifted up metal where in both Sonic's right leg and left side.

Wincing at the injuries of his friend, Knuckles leans down to scoop the hero up carefully. Sonic groans, his head rolling to lay against the echidna's chest, only a part of him still conscious.

"Is he okay?!" Tails calls frantically, looking for a spot to land the X Tornado. The two eldest males exchange worried looks. Sonic was groaning quietly, his eyelids fighting to stay open.

"I'm no so sure," Knuckles admits, his voice smothered in grim. "He's punctured by metal in two spots, and the fall didn't help much."

The sound of quickly approaching footsteps turn the two's attention to the pink heroine that had joined them. Amy was panting slightly, her eyes widening when they fell on the injured hedgehog in Knuckles's arms. "Oh my gosh!"

Shadow looks up just in time to see the Tornado land not too far from them, on the only smooth piece of road left in this part of the city. Tails jumped up from his seat, waving at them frantically. "We need to get him home!"

They all nod, taking off towards the plane. The sound of sirens echoed off the destruction in the heart of Central City; G.U.N. moving in to clean up the mess. The heroes boarded the Tornado, Knuckles carrying Sonic in the seat behind Tails, asking for a first aid kit.

"There's one under my seat!" Tails exclaims, getting the plane up and running. Within seconds they're in the air, and Amy and Knuckles are trying everything they can in such the small space, to control the bleeding of their cobalt friend.

"Keep him awake as much as possible," Tails orders, flying them as fast as he could to his and Sonic's home in Knothole, several miles away. "I don't want him going too far into shock."

"Or not waking up at all," Knuckles curses under his breath, shaking his friend out of sleep. Sonic groans, but is still delirious.

"Don't say things like that!" Amy yells at the ruby echidna, giving him an angry look. "He's going to be okay!"

" _How bad is it?"_ Rouge was heard hesitantly asking over Shadow's communicator. The black and red hedgehog on the wing, looks over at the azure hedgehog with some visible distraught.

"Not very good at all," he answers. "He's injured crucially." He looks down at the screen on his communicator. "I will meet up with you later."

The bat nods, worry clearly seen in her teal eyes. _"All right. Let me know how he turns out."_

"How long until we're there?" Knuckles asks, his patience faltered to its point. "We're out of bandages, and these rags are soaked. He's not doing good at all."

Tails bites his bottom lip, feeling his throat swell as he tried to fight the tears. "We're nearly there! I can see the house. Get ready to head to my lab."

He could not cry. He could not be weak. He needed to pull himself together for Sonic's sake.

' _What if Sonic's leg is permanently damaged? What if he can't run again? What if…?'_

He shook his head. He couldn't stress over these thoughts now. They were going to save his brother. Nothing was going to stop that.

Shadow had jumped off the plane before it even touched the ground. Knuckles and Amy were up and out of it, Tails following suit. Shadow opens the front door, holding it open for the echidna to carry the injured hero through. Tails dashes passed them, running into his lab, turning on the lights and making room on the cushioned table in the center of the room.

"Put him here," he orders, turning to start quickly opening and closing cabinets, searching for the right supplies. Knuckles does as he's told, while the other two join him around the table.

"Amy, I need to go get towels and a few rags from the closet," the yellow kitsune starts, finally finding his medical kit under the sink on the far counter. Amy nods and turns, running back out of the room. Tails continues, putting the kit up on the counter next to the small table. "Knuckles, Shadow, I need you to hold him steady. He's gonna kick when I try to work on his leg."

The two nod, Knuckles at the hedgehog's side, while Shadow held the injured leg's ankle down. Amy runs back in, carrying a stack of three towels and three rags. Tails points to the spot next to the medical kit.

"Put them there. Do you think you can work on his side while I get his leg done?"

The pink girl winces slightly. "I…If I have to I will."

Tails nods, knowing all hell was about to break loose. Sonic was still somewhat conscious, his teeth grit and his eyes squeezed shut in pain. As surprising as it was that the hero hadn't blacked out yet, the fox had a feeling he was going to stay awake until this was over. Sonic's Chaos Energy was most likely trying to heal him, but with the metal penetrated in his leg and side, the energy couldn't do its job.

' _Sorry, Sonic.'_

He gets to work, his heart rate shooting up faster than his brother can run. He grabs one of the larger tweezers, biting his lip. It was going to hurt, but it was also what was going to save him.

As expected, the moment Tails tried to pry the metal out of the hero's leg, Sonic let out a loud cry, both legs kicking in utter instinct. Shadow nearly cursed, as Knuckles joined him in holding him down. Even when injured, the blue hero was still strong as hell…

Amy figured she needed to start working on his left side, and she does so, causing the azure mobian writhing on the table to groan.

He couldn't see a thing. He could barely make out the words of his friends, and his nerves were on fire with pain. He wanted to just pass out, but with his Chaos Energy, he most likely wouldn't until the pain settled down. He just hoped that his friends hurried it up.

The large piece of metal was yanked from his leg, and he let's out a sharp scream. Everyone flinches in the room, before Amy gets out the metal in his side. Another weak cry broke his fawn lips, and Tails motioned for everyone to back away.

"Alright, give him some space," he says, while the blue hero rolls over on his non-injured side, both growling and whimpering at the same time.

They all waited for the hero to calm down, concerned with the amount of blood gushing from his leg and side. If he didn't black out from the pain, he certainly would from blood loss.

"Why don't we take him to a hospital?" Amy asks shakily. Both Tails and Knuckles looked at her with horror.

"Absolutely not," Knuckles blurts out. "Last time we took him to a hospital, he woke up freaking out, beat up half of the hospital staff, and took off. We found him collapsed about a hundred miles away."

The girl's eyes widen, and Shadow looks at the echidna with a raised brow. "You're kidding…"

Tails shakes his head. "He's not. There's something about hospitals that sends Sonic over the edge. He was so out of it and freaked out that he didn't even remember what happened when he did wake up. All he knew was that he did something and he felt really bad about it."

The guardian friend nods. "Yeah. He just kept saying 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry,' over and over again. He seriously injured a lot of people in that hospital."

As Amy and Shadow tried to process the shock of this story, Tails took a look at the mentioned hero. Sonic was breathing a bit deeper now, his eyes closed, and his body a bit more relaxed.

"He's out, which means his Chaos Energy is finally getting to work. We'll still need to stitch him up and give him some pain medicine."

Knuckles nods, crossing his arms. "I'll head to Angel Island to get you some herbs."

Shadow's communicator suddenly beeped, and he frowned, pressing the little red button on the side of the black device. Rouge's face popped up, and she looked a bit pissed.

" _Eggman's gone, as are the Chaos Emeralds."_

"Why am I not surprised?" Shadow countered with a scowl. Knuckles raises a brow.

"What I want to know is how he was able to get four Chaos Emeralds in the first place, as well as build such a huge robot in limited time. It's only been a month since Sonic and Chip put the world back together."

Tails, who was wringing water out of a damp rag, nods, turning to his brother to start cleaning up the wounds. "That bothers me too. Super Sonic scattered the emeralds after he lost his form. There's no way Eggman should have been able to collect four of them that quickly."

"Especially with how hard they are to find when they scatter," Amy adds, putting a hand on her hip.

Rouge rests her chin in her hands. _"For once he's faster than all of us, and we still can't find his base. It's not anywhere on this continent, that's for sure."_ She pauses, perking up a bit. _"Is Sonic okay?"_

Shadow nods. "He is for now. I'm on my way. We need to find those emeralds and the doctor as soon as possible."

The bat nods, letting him off with a 'see you soon.'

After a goodbye from both he and Knuckles, Amy looks at the yellow fox with slight concern.

"You don't think there's any permanent damage to Sonic's leg, do you?"

Tails glances at said appendage, trying to think as positive as possible. "I hope not. I mean, he's taken heavy hits many times before. With his energy, I would like to think he'll be okay. Yeah, it might take quite a bit of time for him to recover but…nothing's going to stop him from running."

Amy smiles gently. "You're right. He's too stubborn to let something like this slow him down." Walking over the side of the table, giving her hero a sad glance, she looks to Tails. "Do you need me to get you anything?"

The young hero frowns, continuing to clean up the dirt and blood on his brother's leg. "I'm not sure right now. You can stay just in case though, if you want."

The pinkette smiles again, her green eyes showing strong empathy. "I will."

Tails focuses back on the Hero of Mobius.

He felt shaky all over, from the inside out, but there was something about seeing Sonic sleep so peacefully right now that calmed him down some. Sonic always told him everything was going to be okay. Even if things seemed really bad right now at this moment, there will always be a better tomorrow. They've made it through so much, and this was only another hurdle they had to jump.

He had no idea how high that hurdle really was, and that there was still a mountain to climb behind it.

* * *

 **Another Author's Note (ughhh):**

 _I'm so late with this… I've just had a rough past few weeks is all._

 _Welcome Home is next on my lists, so my fans of You're Mine, you finally have something to look forward too._

 _I'll see you soon._


End file.
